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TINY

THREADS

Black and White Man Clothes Logo (8)_edi

Buy. Sell.
Dress Well.

CASE STUDY

Overview

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TinyThreads is a mobile app and responsive website designed for parents to purchase and resell children's clothing. The platform aims to provide a user-friendly, secure, and community-oriented marketplace where parents can find affordable, high-quality, and sustainable fashion options for their children.

RESEARCH AND PLANNING

Market Research

Competitor Analysis

ThredUp

  • Strengths: Large inventory, professional quality checks.

  • Weaknesses: Impersonal service, less focus on children's clothing.

  • Unique Features: Extensive filtering options and clean design.

Poshmark

  • Strengths: Social features, easy listing process.

  • Weaknesses: Not specifically focused on children's clothing.

  • Unique Features: Community interactions, virtual closets.

Kidizen

  • Strengths: Dedicated to children's clothing, strong parent community.

  • Weaknesses: Smaller market presence.

  • Unique Features: Parenting tips, local selling options.

User Needs & Pain Points

Affordable Options:

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  • Need: Budget-friendly clothing for rapidly growing children.

  • Pain Points: High cost of new clothes, frequent size changes, desire for stylish yet affordable options.

Ease of Use:

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  • Need: Quick, hassle-free buying and selling process.

  • Pain Points: Complicated interfaces, time-consuming processes, difficulty finding suitable items.

Quality Assurance:

 

  • Need: Trustworthy, good-condition second-hand items.

  • Pain Points: Concerns about wear and tear, lack of standardized quality checks, inconsistent descriptions.

Community Feel:

 

  • Need: Supportive, engaging community for shared experiences.

  • Pain Points: Lack of user connection, limited interaction opportunities, desire for a trusted network.

Environmental Concerns:

 

  • Need: Sustainable shopping options.

  • Pain Points: Impact of fast fashion, desire to reduce waste, need for eco-friendly platforms.

USER PERSONA

Emily, a 32-year-old marketing manager and mother of two, needs a cost-effective solution to dress her kids stylishly. Her demanding schedule leaves little time to shop, and she worries about second-hand clothing quality. She seeks a user-friendly platform for buying and selling clothes and a supportive community for parenting advice and connections.

Age

Education

Hometown

Family


Occupation

Pronouns

32

Marketing Graduate

Suburban area

Married with two kids (ages 2 and 5)

Marketing Manager

She/Her

Emily Johnson

Goals:

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  • Find affordable, stylish clothing for her growing children.

  • Quickly buy and sell clothes without spending too much time.

  • Connect with other parents for advice and support.

Pain Points:

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  • High costs of new clothes.

  • Limited time to browse and shop.

  • Concern about the quality of second-hand items.

USER JOURNEY MAP

Creating Emily's user journey map helps identify her needs, pain points, and opportunities to improve TinyThreads, ensuring a user-friendly and effective platform that fosters loyalty.

Awareness

  • Scenario: Emily hears about TinyThreads from a friend who shares a post on social media.

  • Actions: Emily clicks on the shared link and visits the TinyThreads website.

  • Thoughts: "This could be a great way to save money on my kids' clothes."

  • Feelings: Curious and optimistic.

Consideration

  • Scenario: Emily browses the TinyThreads website to explore its features.

  • Actions: She reads about the platform’s benefits, checks user reviews, and looks at the available clothing items.

  • Thoughts: "The community aspect and quality assurance are appealing."

  • Feelings: Interested and hopeful.

Registration

  • Scenario: Emily decides to sign up for an account.

  • Actions: She registers using her email and creates a profile.

  • Thoughts: "I hope the sign-up process is quick and easy."

  • Feelings: Slightly impatient but committed.

Exploration

  • Scenario: Emily logs into her new account and starts exploring the platform.

  • Actions: She uses filters to search for clothing items, reads product descriptions, and checks seller ratings.

  • Thoughts: "I need to find quality clothes at a good price."

  • Feelings: Engaged and excited.

First Purchase

  • Scenario: Emily finds a few items she likes and decides to make a purchase.

  • Actions: She adds items to her cart, proceeds to checkout, and completes the payment.

  • Thoughts: "I hope the clothes are as good as they look online."

  • Feelings: Anxious but excited.

Receiving the Order

  • Scenario: Emily receives her first order from TinyThreads.

  • Actions: She unboxes the clothes, inspects their condition, and tries them on her children.

  • Thoughts: "The quality is great, and my kids look adorable!"

  • Feelings: Relieved and satisfied.

Selling Clothes

  • Scenario: Emily decides to sell some of her children’s outgrown clothes.

  • Actions: She takes photos of the clothes, lists them on TinyThreads, and sets prices.

  • Thoughts: "I hope these sell quickly."

  • Feelings: Optimistic and proactive.

Community Engagement

  • Scenario: Emily explores the community features of TinyThreads.

  • Actions: She joins forums, reads parenting tips, and connects with other parents.

  • Thoughts: "It’s nice to share experiences and get advice from other parents."

  • Feelings: Connected and supported.

This user journey highlights the key touchpoints and emotional experiences of Emily as she interacts with TinyThreads, emphasizing the platform’s role in making her life as a busy mom more manageable and enjoyable.

SITE MAP

This site map provides a clear structure for the TinyThreads platform, ensuring easy navigation and a seamless user experience for parents like Emily.

TINY

THREADS

Home

Featured
listing

New Arrivals

Top Seller
 

Highlighters
 

Shop

Categories

Filter

Search
 

Sell

Create Listings

Manage
Listings

Selling 
Tips
 

My Account

Profile

Orders

WIshlists
 

Mission

About US

Story

Team
 

Supoort

Story

Shipping Information
 

Return Policy

FAQS

Contact Support

PAPER WIRE FRAMES

Based on key user research findings, I created paper wireframes for TinyThreads. These wireframes prioritize intuitive navigation, straightforward search functionality, and user-friendly interactions throughout the Home, Shop, Sell, My Account, Support, and Item Detail pages.

I sketched multiple iterations of each screen on paper. Additionally, I designed layouts for various screen sizes to ensure full responsiveness.

DIGITAL WIRE FRAMES

Creating digital wireframes for TinyThreads' Item Detail Pages involved designing a clear and intuitive layout for both the Shop and Sell sections. The Shop page focuses on showcasing item images, details, and purchasing options, while the Sell page facilitates easy listing management with forms for uploading photos, descriptions, and prices. These wireframes ensure a seamless user experience for viewing and managing children's clothing items.

Digital Wire Frame Screen Size(s) Variations

Creating digital wireframes for various screen sizes ensures a responsive and adaptive design, maintaining usability and aesthetics across devices. Key elements are optimized for clarity and ease of interaction, providing a consistent user experience on both mobile and desktop screens.

LOW FIDELITY PROTOTYPE

I developed a low-fidelity prototype for TinyThreads from the user flow diagram and wireframes to test functionality and ensure accessibility before finalizing the design.

Usability study: parameters

Study type:

Mixed-Method Usability Testing

Participants:

10-15 participants

Location:

Remote and In-Person

Length:

2 weeks

Usability study: findings

Finding

Navigation Simplicity: Users easily navigated to key sections (Shop, Sell, My Account) but struggled to find specific community features, indicating a need for clearer menu labels or improved layout.

Finding

Listing Efficiency:

The process for listing items was intuitive, but users suggested adding a step-by-step guide to further simplify the task and ensure all required fields are completed.

Finding

Search and Filter Issues: While searching for items, users found the search bar effective but reported that filters could be more specific, recommending additional categories to narrow down results more efficiently.

Mockups

Mockups: Different Size Variations

High-Fidelity Prototype

I created high-fidelity prototypes to reflect the final design. These prototypes included detailed visuals, interactive elements, and polished layouts to provide a realistic experience, ensuring all usability improvements were effectively implemented.

Accessibility Considerations

Text and Color Contrast:

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Ensure high contrast between text and background colors for readability, making sure all text is easily distinguishable.

Keyboard Navigation:

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Enable full keyboard navigation, ensuring that all interactive elements like buttons, links, and forms are accessible via keyboard.

Screen Reader Compatibility:

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Implement ARIA labels and provide descriptive alt text for all images to support users who rely on screen readers.

Takeaways

book_edited.png

Impact

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The TinyThreads project significantly enhanced the user experience by streamlining navigation and improving search and filter functions, resulting in higher user satisfaction and engagement. The implementation of accessibility features, such as high contrast, keyboard navigation, and ARIA attributes, made the platform more inclusive and accessible to a broader audience. Additionally, the improved community features fostered a supportive environment, encouraging more interaction and sharing among users, particularly parents.

learn_edited.png

What I Learned

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Through the TinyThreads project, I learned the importance of a user-centered design approach, highlighting the need to involve users in the design process to uncover real pain points and preferences. I also gained valuable insights into accessibility best practices, including the implementation of ARIA attributes and other accessibility features to create a more inclusive digital experience. Moreover, the iterative design process taught me the value of continuous testing and prototyping, enabling me to refine the product based on user feedback and ensure it effectively met user needs and expectations.

Next Steps

Further Usability Testing:

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Conduct another round of usability testing with the high-fidelity prototypes to validate design changes and ensure all identified issues have been resolved.

Accessibility Audit:

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Perform a thorough accessibility audit using tools and real user feedback to ensure compliance with accessibility standards like WCAG 2.1.

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Beta Testing:

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Launch a beta version of the platform to a select group of users to gather real-world feedback and identify any remaining issues before the full public launch.

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